Testimony
Andrew has been a Christian most of his life. At the age of six, his mother led him to the Lord. His mom, Janet Cummings, would read Bible stories to him every night. She had made a profession of faith when she was a child, but finally, she accepted Jesus as her Lord when Andrew was six months old.
He grew up in Cross Lanes, WV, and was baptized at Cross Lanes Baptist Church. Although his mom read him Bible stories every night and taught him from the Bible, they rarely went to church.
When he was 14, his mom was remarried. In a very short time, his whole world changed. They moved, he changed schools and gained a step-father and step-brother. Finding the family situation difficult, he started spending the weekends with his aunt and uncle and he started attending Esta Memorial Missionary Baptist Church with them. It was here that his walk with the Lord became serious. On a Sunday morning, with the sunlight streaming in the windows, he surrendered himself totally to the Lord.
When he was 17, he went with the youth group to a youth conference held at First Baptist Church of Hammond Indiana. Pastor Jack Hyles preached from Romans 12:1-2, and asked for kids who are willing to sacrifice to their lives to the Lord to stand. At that moment, Andrew knew that he had to serve God with all he was, and he stood. It was then that God started dealing with his heart about preaching. Despite trying to ignore it and wish it away, the calling to preach continue to grow stronger with each passing day.
He joined Victory Baptist Church in Cross Lanes in 1999. Soon after, tired of running from God, he surrendered to the call to preach. At Victory, Andrew played bass guitar, taught Sunday School, Children's Church, Vacation Bible School, and adult Sunday School on Wednesday nights, and preached his first-ever sermon.
For most of his life, Andrew was consumed with the fear of what others thought of him. This fear prevented him from serving God as he should have. He attended the Kanawha Valley Camp meeting, where the Holy Spirit convicted him of his fear.
God moved their family to Capitol City Baptist in 2010. At CCBC, he joined the bus ministry, played bass, taught Sunday School, and preached at Children's Church.
In October 2015, Andrew got a preaching appointment at Lens Creek Missionary Baptist. The deacons asked him if he would consider standing for the pastor. He agreed to fill the pulpit while he sought the Lord's will. in January 2016, Andrew was elected pastor with 100% of the vote.
In August 2022, Andrew was elected as president of the Fundamental Independent Missionary Baptist Fellowship, a small group of like-minded churches that fellowship together regularly.
Education and Training
Andrew is a 1990 Poca High School graduate. Shortly after graduation, Andrew joined the Army Reserves, where he served as a Combat Medic and Respiratory Therapist. He earned a National Registry credential as both an Emergency Medical Technician and Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician. He was honorably discharged in March 1995.
Andrew received his Associate in Applied Science in Computer Science in 2008 from West Virginia State Community and Technical College, and his Regent's Bachelor of Arts in 2011 from West Virginia State University.
Around 2012, Andrew felt God leading him to prepare for ministry. Since seminary was not an option, he began studying courses in systematic theology, apologetics, philosophy, Christian worldview, and Christian Doctrine in earnest. These helped to fill in the gaps in his decades of Bible study. This training proved invaluable for the ministry.
Capitol City Baptist Church ordained him on October 23, 2016.
Personal Life
Andrew is the youngest of five kids and has a brother and three sisters, who are all considerably older than he. His brother, the next youngest, is ten years his senior. His dad passed away when he was only four.
In December of 1989, while visiting his friend, David Kersey's church, Rock Branch Independent, Andrew met his future wife Rebecca They started dating in February of 1990, and were married in 1995. Their first child, Laura, was born in 1999. Their son, Benjamin, was born in 2007. They reside in Cross Lanes.
As a bi-vocational pastor, Andrew works for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, Management Information Services as the Director of Database Administration and Analytics. He has worked for WV DHHR since 2001 in a variety of capacities.
